The present invention relates to a device for enclosing the cargo area of a vehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a cover for the cargo area of a truck having a storage compartment included therein.
Vehicles such as pick-up trucks having an open cargo area are useful for transporting a wide variety of cargo. However, cargo transported in these types of vehicles is susceptible to environmental exposure. Therefore, various tops, caps, and tonneau covers have been designed to cover the cargo area and limit the ingress of rain, sleet, snow and the like.
One cover design which has dramatically increased in popularity is the flexible or soft tonneau cover. This tonneau cover offers relatively low cost, ease of installation and reduced storage space when not in use. A soft tonneau typically includes a flexible cover releasably attached to interconnected frame members mounted on the top edge of a truck bed.
While soft tonneau covers limit the environmental exposure to the cargo area, other features remain desirable. In a typical tonneau cover, the enclosed cargo area forms one large compartment. This large compartment is useful for storage of large items and bulk materials. However, the large compartment is not well suited for storing small goods, fragile items, or valuable possessions. Therefore, it remains desirable to provide a soft tonneau cover which includes a compartment for the storage of small, fragile or valuable items.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide a soft tonneau cover for a truck cargo area, the tonneau cover including a storage compartment located on the underside of the cover for selectively retaining items.
In one form, the present invention includes a flexible tonneau cover including a first flexible sheet having a perimeter substantially corresponding to the perimeter of a cargo area, a plurality of fasteners attached around the perimeter of the flexible cover for attaching the cover to the cargo area, and a pocket formed on the underside of the flexible sheet for selectively retaining objects.